Zafar Iqbal, the ChetoNazi amongst Us

We know of the fact that intellectuals can shape a destiny of a nation, if they stand by their conscience and what is right. History has given us enough examples of intellectuals who lost the respect of the masses due to sale of their allegiances to the tyrants and oppressors of their people in return for short lived fame and glory.  History has side by side also given us examples of numerous intellectuals whose stand by their conscience has made them immortal. Great intellectuals such as Socrates are proof of that. Let us examine one such case.

Eminent Bangladeshi writer and national literary and cultural icon Muhammed Zafar Iqbal on Friday blamed the government for the leak of question papers of the ongoing Higher Secondary Certificate examinations and demanded a public hearing to reach a solution to the problem. Zafar Iqbal, also Shahjalal University of Science and Technology professor, made the demand as he led a sit in at the Central Shaheed Minar in protest at the leak of the question papers. 

Despite having evidence of question papers being leaked, the government had rejected the allegations, said Zafar Iqbal, also a member of the committee to frame the Education Policy 2010. He urged the government to arrange public hearing where prominent academics, teachers, students and guardians would exchange their views to reach a solution to the leak of question papers of public examinations. He, however, urged the young generation for launching a tough movement against the leaking of question papers. 

Saying this he left the programme and went to another program in the afternoon, where Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid presented him with the Chandrabarti Children’s Literature Award. Zafar Iqbal was seen sitting along with Nahid, the two friends happily chatting away throughout the programme. 

Now this was right after the program where Zafar spoke out against Nahid..........yes, right after when he spoke out AGAINST him!!! 

What does this tell us about Zafar Iqbal, eminent professor, well known atheist and apparently a shameless blatant supporter of the government?

That his words were just that, words. That he started actually protesting right at the end of the saga of the question leaks in order to save his image and skin simultaneously so as to keep up the camouflage. That he had always remained subservient to the government, as subservient as he was on the January 5 elections at the beginning of this year, where the writer came down heavily on a section of the media for their stand against holding the 10th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh on the 5th of January, 2013, amid a boycott by the main opposition party, alleging that those who had been calling for halting the electoral process were actually trying to ensure the participation of Jamaat-e-Islami in the election. 

Such actions and views of this eminent writer showcase a dark side of the personality behind the man that many are not aware of, and fail to see or comprehend. Zafar Iqbal may be a remarkably talented man, but the atheist cum self professed hater of Islamic education and politics has always had a clear stand regarding Islam, Islamic education, Islamic way of life and the role of Islam based politics in a secular state. Few are ignorant of the videos of Zafar Iqbal dancing recklessly with girls his daughter’s age or of pictures of his daughter drinking alcohol. A life long professor of secular values and a westernized way of life in favour of negating cultural and religious values of the society from which he emanates, Zafar Iqbal through his writings and actions led a generation astray, forcing down their throats a biased narrative of history that helped successive chetoNazis exploit the sentiments of millions, pitting them against their own culture and more importantly against Islam, weaning them away from moral values and social and cultural norms, and throughout the process denied any responsibility for the monster of ignorance residing with a cluesless generation he helped to create. 

Lets not shirk from the truth. Zafar Iqbal, with that silent secretive smile behind the trademark moustache, has destroyed a generation and probably more.